


Lightning strikes twice

by Leo_nine



Series: Dad Thor - domestic one-shots [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Babies, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert, dad thor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 07:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18806506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leo_nine/pseuds/Leo_nine
Summary: Life as a father isn’t as easy as Thor hoped it would be.Based on prompt: “You’re lucky.” “I think the word you’re looking for is competent.”





	Lightning strikes twice

**Author's Note:**

> The baby is named after my beautiful Danish niece.
> 
> All feedback and comments gratefully received.

 The silence of the night was shattered by a piercing wail.

You groaned. “Oh come on, I literally just fed you child.” Yawning, you rubbed your eyes and shuffled to sit up but were stopped by a firm hand on your arm.

“Stay here, my love. I’ll deal with it,” Thor said, voice thick with sleep. He leant over to kiss your forehead, the only part of you visible as you gratefully snuggled back into the comforting warmth under the blankets, before he threw back the covers on his side and swung his long legs out of bed. From under heavy lids, you watched him head out of the room, enjoying the sight of the ripple of muscle and sinew as he stretched tired limbs. Then you turned over and tried to let sleep take you once more.

The noise from the other room didn’t let up though. If anything, the cries got louder the longer Thor was in there. Every damn night. You turned onto your back and stared at the ceiling, saying a silent prayer for a miracle to whoever the god of parenthood was - please let tonight be different, please let him have this. Five minutes of wailing later, it was clear that once again your prayers weren’t going to be answered and you got out of bed, unable to ignore the agonised cries any longer.

From the moment he’d found out you were pregnant, Thor had been determined to be the best father he could, to help with everything, to always be there to share smiles and wipe away tears. When Freja was born, he had looked in helpless adoration at the tiny bundle cradled in his huge hands, innocent blue eyes that matched his own staring up at him, and known that his heart was forever hers. From that moment his devotion had been absolute, wanting to be involved in every aspect of his daughter’s life and help to look after her whenever and however he could.

In the daytime all was well but for some reason Freja just wasn’t on the same page when it came to the night time. When she woke crying in the early hours, the only thing that consoled her was being held by you - never Thor, only ever you. Which was fine most of the time since she still needed to be breastfed regularly through the night but after 2 months of broken sleep you were desperate for any rest you could get. 

Not that it was all bad, of course. Sitting in the semi-darkness with your daughter nestled against your chest, seeing her eyes flutter closed, hearing her little huffed breaths slow as you comforted her was a feeling like no other. Despite the exhaustion, it made your maternal heart swell with pride to have this bond with your child, to be able to hold her close and calm her, and you wanted your husband to feel that connection too. The two of you had tried to solve it but so far nothing had worked. He’d even tried wearing your old maternity pyjama top, now stretched and ripped beyond repair, to see if she was reacting to your scent but nope, no luck. And it seemed as though tonight was no different.

You stood in the doorway of the nursery for a moment, surveying the familiar scene in front of you with a weary smile. Your enormous husband, the mighty warrior who had defeated giant monsters and entire armies, losing his battle with a small screaming bundle of flailing arms and legs. Packs of wipes and clean diapers were scattered across the floor, presumably knocked off the shelf in his rush, and you bent to pick them up, thankful that any dirty items had at least been tidied away.

Thor looked at you hopelessly, as he fiddled unsuccessfully to dress her. “I have managed to change her diaper but she just won’t stop crying. Or wriggling. I just do not seem to have the necessary skills for this.”

“Here, let me.” He stepped to one side sadly and you took over. With your practised touch and the sound of your voice, she calmed down almost instantly and you finished refastening the sleepsuit poppers and fitted her back into her infant sleeping bag. Knowing that it was too soon to place her back in her crib you sat on the large nursery chair, cradling her in your arms as she snuffled contentedly against you.

“It’s as though you are an expert with babies,” Thor sighed, running a hand distractedly through his hair. “You’re lucky.”

Lack of sleep made you crankier than usual, bristling at the implication that this all came easy to you. “I think the word you’re looking for is competent,” you snapped. Seeing the dejected look on his face though, you instantly relented. “Just barely competent. I’m winging this, same as you.” 

Thor knelt next to the chair, staring at the two of you in awe. “I love her so much, I just want to take care of you both. Why can’t I do this right?”

“Oh honey, stop being so hard on yourself. You’re doing fine and she loves you. She’s only 9 weeks old, this is all new to her too.”

“But she doesn’t cry when you touch her. Am I doing it wrong, do I hold her too tight? Am I ...”

You stroked his arm sympathetically. “She doesn’t cry when I hold her because she knows I come ready-equipped with food.”

“But she’s not even hungry now, and yet she still won’t let me pick her up without crying,” he persisted.

“I just feel different to her, I guess. I mean, my body’s way squishier, plus my body temperature is naturally lower than yours.’ You leant over to kiss his cheek, resting your head against his. “We’ll figure it out, honey.” The mention of body heat made you notice the chill in the air and you suddenly regretted the thin pyjamas which offered little protection against the cold. 

Thor noticed the goosebumps forming along your bare arms and rose to his feet. “I’ll get you a blanket, my love.”

“No, I’ll be fine. Like I said, not all of us have your body heat, that’s all, “ you said, giving him a soft smile. “How about a hug to keep us warm?”

His face lit up in return. “That is something I can definitely do.” 

You shuffled to make room and he fitted into the chair beside you, letting you lean against him before enveloping you both in his huge arms. Freja fretted as you moved and you made shushing noises, stroking her smooth little hand softly. Within a few minutes she was starting to doze, delicate eyelashes brushing against chubby cheeks, so peaceful that it was hard to believe that such a tiny body could have made so much noise. Resting your head against your husband’s broad chest, cuddling with the two people you loved most in the world, you let the blissful warmth of his body overwhelm you.

The feel of your body relaxing in his arms coupled with the slow rise and fall of your chest quickly made it clear that you’d fallen asleep, but Thor was unwilling to move so soon, his gaze shifting between the two of you. _Valhalla_ , he thought, _this is my Valhalla_.

He knew that you needed your rest, though, and that this perfect moment had to end, so after a few minutes he reluctantly moved. Barely daring to breath, Thor shifted position so you were supported on the chair rather than him and carefully, so carefully, lifted Freja from your arms. Resisting the urge to kiss her tiny hands and face as he carried her across to the crib, he placed her down gently with a whispered “Sleep well, precious girl.”

With a last fond look at her sleeping form, he scooped you up effortlessly and took you back to your room. Placing you on your side of the bed, he pulled the covers over you carefully before snuggling in behind you, wrapping one arm around your waist to pull you closer. He nuzzled up against you, pressing soft kisses to your neck that made you sigh in your sleep. _Yes_ , he thought as he closed his eyes, _Valhalla_.

It seemed just minutes had passed when the heavy thud of raindrops on the glass pane disturbed you. Still groggy, you were about to check the time when there was a bright flash outside and a crash of thunder rattled the windows. The noise outside was nothing though compared to the ear-splitting shrieks that echoed through from the nursery.

Turning slightly in his embrace to face him, you poked Thor firmly in the ribs. “Definitely your turn to get up, thunder god, it’s your fault she’s woken up again.”

“Not guilty, this storm isn’t of my doing, love,” he grunted. “But I’ll do my best to calm her.” Giving you a quick squeeze, he rolled out of bed.

As he headed through the door with a resigned expression on his face, you called after him. “Bring her in here if you like, none of us will sleep until this weather passes.”

Sighing, you checked the clock and decided you might as well get up since sleep didn’t look likely any time soon. On the way to the kitchen to make you both some coffee you halted in your tracks, realising that the crying had stopped even though the thunder was getting louder. OK, that was unexpectedly great.

As you approached the nursery, the lights were still off but the faint glow of moonlight was enough for you to see Thor standing at the window with his back to you, holding Freja against his chest so she was looking outside. Hearing you enter, he turned and a lightning flash briefly lit up the room, illuminating his face that was split in a broad grin. 

“She cried when I first picked her up just like always, but when I opened the curtains she stopped. I think the lightning distracts her.” He looked down at the baby in his arms with pride. “My girl likes the storm.”

“She’s definitely going to take after her daddy.” You stretched up to kiss his cheek. “I’m so happy for you, honey.”

“Come and watch with us, my love.” Thor stretched to make space for you in his arms next to Freja but you shook your head.

“No, this is your time together. I’ll leave the two of you to enjoy the rest of the show.” You paused as you got to the door. “Does this mean we’re going to be having an unseasonal number of thunder storms from now on?”

His grin got even wider. “Perhaps.”


End file.
